Strifetorn Central African Republic names new PM

by
Reuters

Saturday, 25 January 2014 18:59 GMT

A man fixes flags of the Central African Republic (L) and Congo Brazzaville prior to the arrival of visiting heads of state on the day of the swearing-in ceremony of the new parliamentary-elected interim President Catherine Samba-Panza, at the airport of the capital Bangui, CAR, January 23, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola

New president Samba-Panza is seeking to build an interim government and restore order after months of sectarian violence that has left thousands dead and homeless

* Red Cross recovers four bodies on Saturday

* Youths armed with machetes and clubs wander streets

BANGUI, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Central African Republic's new interim President Catherine Samba-Panza has named Andre Nzapayeke, a former official of the African Development Bank, as prime minister, state radio said on Saturday.

Samba-Panza, who took office two days ago, is seeking to build an interim government to restore order to the former French colony after months of sectarian violence that has left thousands dead or homeless.

The mineral-rich country descended into chaos last March when Muslim armed groups known as Seleka seized power in a coup, unleashing a wave of killing and looting.

That triggered revenge attacks by Christian militia known as "anti-balaka", or anti-machete, and fighting has escalated in recent days despite the presence of about 1,600 French troops and 5,000 African Union peacekeepers.

On Saturday, local Red Cross president Pastor Antoine Mbao Bogo said his staff had recovered four bodies in Bangui.

Youths wandered the streets armed with machetes and clubs in the mostly Muslim Miskine neighbourhood, a Reuters witness said.

On Friday, Muslim former minister Joseph Kalite was hacked to death by machete-wielding militiamen in Bangui. At least nine others were killed when bands of people, some of them Christian groups, attacked and looted shops, witnesses said.

The violence has killed more than 2,000 since December, and forced about a million people - nearly a quarter of the population - to flee their homes.